Fur-picking machine



C. S. PECK.

INVENTYoR MKM 'ATTORNEY (In. "In,

c. s.'PEcK. Fu PlcKlNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 3. I9I8.

Patented Feb. 3,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- INVENTOR Ze/e M A'TTORNEY UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

CHARLES S. PECK, OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO PECK FUR COMPANY, 0F DANBURY, CONNECTICUT, A COPARTNERSHIP CONSISTING OF CHARLES S. PECK AND SIDNEY C. PECK.

FUR-PICKING MACHINE.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

PateiitedFeb. 3, 1920.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLEs S. PEOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at 12 Fairview Ave., Danbury, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Fur-Picking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a picking machine adapted for general use in the preparation of fur for the manufacture of hats and especially adapted for use in reclaiming the fur from waste pieces of fur bearing skins, that is the waste pieces aiidclippings from the shops of skin cutters, skin dressers, garment makers, etc. These clippings and other waste pieces are first subjected to the action of a machine which cuts the pieces of skin into narrow strips and removes the fur therefrom. The product of this machine is then ready to be operated upon by a fur picking machine, i'requently defined in the trade as a fur blowing machine.

On account of the scarcity and very high price of fur bearing skins at the present time, it is desirable to save as large a proportion of the fur as possible, and it is also desirable to produce as high a grade of fur as possible. This requires that the fur be picked or as it is often called in'the art teased just as little as possible, the effect of repeated pickings being to break and shorten the fibers and to greatly impairV their quality for felting purposes. It is in fact required that the scales, so called, of the fibersbe left intact as far as possible in order to facilitate felting or shrinking.

In order to provide a picking machine adapted for general use upon all kinds of fur and especially adaptedl for use in separatingk the refuse matter, such as hair, pieces of skin, waste, and dags (fibers and hairs stuck together in some previous operation, as carroting) from the fur, I have invented and produced the novel machine which I will now describe and which is provided with a plurality of feed rolls, pickingcylinders and aprons so arranged that the fur separated from the mass of material by the first or any succeeding picking` operation is not subjected to any further picking operation. By this means I am enabled to separate the fur from the Waste without undue teasing and to maintain the product'at a relatively high grade.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a two section machine;

Fig. 2 Va longitudinal sectional view corresponding therewith;

Fig. 3 a side elevation, partly broken away, from a point of view opposite to lthat in Fig. l, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on-anl enlargedv scale on the line L.1f-"4 in Fig. -3 looking'inthe direction of the arrows.

For convenience in illustration I have shown a machine having two sections only. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to any special number of sections, as, like ordinary picking machines, the'machine may be extended and provided with vany required number vof sections depending upon special uses to which the machine is applied.l

The operative parts are inclosed by a housing 10, the lower portion of which is stationary, the upper portion being partly formed of wire netting, indicated by 11, and being hinged to the lower portion, as at'12, at approximately its mid-height. The upper portion of the housing isdivided, by oner or more partitions 16, into compartments, indicated in the present instance by 17 and 18.

The material to be operated upon is fed over a table 13 through a pair of feed rolls, indicated by 14, to a picker roll, indicated by 15.. The feed rolls have relatively slow rotation but the picker roll rotates at a high velocity, three thousand to four thousand rotations per minute. The action of the picker roll is to pick the mass of material thoroughly and by its high velocity to create a strong air current or blowing effect. The result is that the light fibers offur are car* riedupward by the air Vcurrent vwhile the hairs, waste, dags, and strips of skin drop downward. The fur fibers in compartment 17 settle upon a traveling apron 19 carried by rolls 20 and 21, said apron passing through an aperture in partition 16, and beyond the second picker roll. From apron 19 the fur fibers drop upon a traveling apron 22 carried by rolls 23 and 24. Apron 22 extends through an aperture in the wall of the housing, or through another partition if more compartments are provided, and drops the fur into a suitable receptacle, not shown.

Vapron 31 carried by rolls 32 and 33 and are The hairs, dags, waste, and strips of skin, and probably some usable fur fibers as well, drop down upon a traveling apron 25 carried by rolls 26 and 27. In connection with roll 27 I provide a presser. roll 28 which rests upon the portion of apron 25 passing over roll 27. Rolls 28 and 27 press the material down evenly so that it will pass, without danger' of clogging, to a second pair of feed rolls, indicated by 29, and to a second picker roll, contiguous thereto, indicated by 30. The action of picker roll 30 is the same as that of picker roll 15. The fibers of fur Separated from the heavier material are blown upward into compartment 18 and settle upon apron 22, by which they are disposed of with the fur iibers which are deposited upon said apron from apron 19. The hairs, dags, waste, and strips of skin from picker roll 30 drop upon a traveling carried out of the machine through an aperture in the wall of the housing, in the Vpresent instance at the feeding end ci the machine, and deposited in a suitable receptacle, not shown.

I have illustrated driving meansfor the operative parts of the machine, but omit description in detail as the driving elements shown are in common use and moreover it is wholly immaterial how the operative parts are driven. In the present instance the apro-ns serve as driving belts for certain of the rolls. I have shown the journals of roller 28 as provided with yielding` bearings and have shown the journals of rollers 21, 23 and 26 as'provided with adjustable bearings in order to take up the stretch in aprons 19, 22, and 25. Description of the details of construction, however, is omitted as such details are not of the essence of the invention.

Aprons 19 and 25 are shown as arranged to travel in planes substantially parallel to each other and oblique to the horizontal plane of the machine. 'Ihis special arrangement, however, is not essential to the operativeness of the machine.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A machine of the character described comprising a plurality of picker rolls rotating at a high velocity, a traveling apron which receives the iur from the first picker roll, a traveling apron which Vreceives the heavier material from thev first picker roll and conducts it to the second picker roll, and a traveling apron which receives the iiur 'from the second picker roll and from the first mentioned apron.

2. A machine of the character described comprising a plurality of picker rolls rotating at a high velocity, an inclined traveling apron whichreceives the fur from the first picker roll to deliver the fur above and pastV the adjacent picker roll, a traveling apron which receives the heavier material from the first picker roll and conducts it to the second picker roll, and a traveling apron which receives the fur from the second picker roll and from the first mentioned apron, said rst mentioned and second mentioned traveling aprons lying in planes substantially parallel to each other and oblique to the horizontal plane of the machine.

3. A machine of the character described comprising a plurality of picker rolls, feed rolls coperating with the picker rolls, a traveling apron which receives the fur from the rst picker roll, a traveling apron which receives the heavier material from the first picker roll and conducts it to the second picker roll, a traveling apron which receives the fur from the second picker roll and from the first mentioned apron, a traveling apron which receives the heavier material from the second picker roll, a presser roll coperating with one of the carrying rolls for the second mentioned apron, and driving means for the several rolls.

4. A machine of the character described comprising two compartments, a picker roll for each compartment, a traveling apron which receives the iur from the first picker roll and carries it into the second compartment, a traveling apron which receives the heavier material from the first picker roll and conducts it to the second picker roll, and a traveling apron which receives the fur from the second picker roll and from the first mentioned apron and conducts it from the second compartment.

In testimony whereof I aiiixY my signature.

CHARLES S. PECK. 

